This seems as good a forum as any to admit it:
My name is Stephanie.
It has been 26 days since the end of Sukkot.
Our Sukkah is still standing.
Back when we lived in Iowa, we would have considered this a real feat. (Flashback to 2007 when, uncomfortably pregnant with the boy, we called our neighbors to help tackle the stupid sacred structure as the wind blew it like tumbleweed across our snow-covered backyard. And that was still during the festival. Ah, memories.)
But a Sukkah isn’t supposed to stand forever. It’s supposed to be impermanent. It’s supposed to look out-of-place in its place – and therefore special, significant, inviting. It’s not supposed to blend into the landscape – becoming just another “wall” for an impromptu baseball diamond, an obstacle to mow around, another place for fallen leaves to congregate. Worse yet, it’s not supposed to become something so taken for granted that it’s not even seen at all.
Yet how quickly the makeshift can become permanent if we allow it. So shame on us.
It’s now a little more than two weeks until Thanksgiving; our Sukkah will be down by then – along with perhaps a few other routines and structures in our lives, so that there’s a little more space in which to be aware of our blessings and express our gratitude.
Storied Life, Illustrated. 
Now you have made it public, so it will have to come down. I actually did some writing today (thank you 14 day writing challenge) and that tiny accomplishment motivated me to remove the dead hanging plants from our front porch that have been there for…….8 weeks (I convinced myself they were a Halloween decoration).
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Well done! 🙂
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